


Black Market

by keepfabandgayon



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-15
Updated: 2013-08-15
Packaged: 2017-12-23 12:55:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/926680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keepfabandgayon/pseuds/keepfabandgayon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It'd been three years, and the wound was still raw, but this would be the last year that anything would be left for Mako's ritual.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Black Market

**Author's Note:**

> for jaegercon 2013 bingo

There would never come a day when the memory of the Kaiju and the threat of a return didn't loom over the whole world as oppressively and thoroughly as Kaiju Blue still polluted the oceans. But there did come a day when the only physical remains of the Kaiju were the massive bones they'd left behind, and even those were being chipped away at little by little to be sold as powder on the black market. 

Mako liked to think of herself as someone who abided by the law, but on the last day before she left Hong Kong for the newly re-opened Tokyo Shatterdome, she found herself standing in the middle of a crowded street, staring up at Hannibal Chau's shop. 

"This is where I have to leave you." Newt smiled at them grimly. "I don't really feel like dying today." He gave a little wave and headed back towards the Shatterdome to pack up what was left of his lab -- not much, as the Kaiju samples were all used up and his research was mostly digital -- or perhaps to shout with Hermann for a while. 

It hadn't been Mako's idea to bring Raleigh along, but he followed her everywhere. Not that she minded. She hadn't asked him to come, but he'd shown up just as Newt led Mako out of the Shatterdome and had walked with them without a word. 

Now, he followed her up the narrow stairs and into the shop. The men behind the counter saw Mako first, and ignored her. 

"Excuse me. I'd like to buy some Kaiju bone powder."

"What you need bone powder for?" One man eyed her suspiciously. 

"It's an aphrodisiac, isn't it?" Raleigh interrupted. 

"We know who you are. You are not fucking."

"No, but two of our friends are. We thought it'd be a nice gift."

"Hm." He extracted a large glass jar from under the counter; it was only about a quarter full. "Not much left. How much you willing to pay?"

"How much are you willing to sell it for?" Mako challenged. 

\---

She'd only wanted a few ounces, and they left with what they came for; a tiny glass bottle with a cork stopper, half-full of Kaiju remains. 

The two of them made their way back to the Shatterdome and went through the halls slowly. They passed through the enormous Jaeger hold, where four Mark VI Jaegers were under construction as they waited for the inevitable return of the Kaiju, and went up the back stairs to the roof. 

It was cold, and rain clouds were coming in, but they made their way across the flat roof to the edge and looked out over the water. 

It'd been three years, and the wound was still raw, but this would be the last year that anything would be left for Mako's ritual. 

She whispered for a few minutes in Japanese; it wasn't quite a prayer, but it held the same sort of feeling. Then she held out her arm and dropped the little bottle over the edge, and stared at the horizon as it fell down into the sea below. 

"Sensei, aishiteimasu."


End file.
